Basically, Joe Hessling wants to make your break room a fun place to be with high tech vending machines loaded with high quality and great tasting snacks, sandwiches and other food items. He was born into the business as both his grandfather and father worked in the food business. Hessling joined his dad in his food-distributing network at the age of 16. Now at 43 he’s the CEO of Troy-based 365 Retail Markets.

“Following high school I went directly into it but got out in 1999 and started a restaurant which turned into a food management business,” Hessling said. “That’s where I realized the need for the type of thing we do now. It’s been a long road.”

The company supplies hardware and software to vending machine operators who want to replace their conventional vending banks with unmanned MicroMarkets - small convenience stores across the United States and Canada. The company began in Hessling’s garage in Birmingham then to a 400-square foot space behind a curtain in a Southfield store and now to its current location in Troy, a 22,000 square-foot technology and manufacturing center.

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“Selfishly, I saw this as a way to sell more sandwiches,” he said. “I knew that nobody wanted to buy sandwiches out of a vending machine but I had really good sandwiches to sell.”

According to Hessling, traditional vending has about “a 5 percent participation rate when it comes to fresh food but 365 Retail Markets has about a 35 percent participation — same location, same food and same people.

“It’s just a different way to do it and that changes customer behavior,” he said. “We have tons of variety and give them easier access.”

Normal vending machines take your dollar or five dollar bill but with MicroMarkets you have the option of credit, debit, Mobile wallets - anything and everything is available to use with the system. By offering a wider more palatable selection of snacks, foods and beverages with just about any way to pay for it and that equals more satisfied customers.

“A lot less cranky people in the office,” he said.

Hessling is looking to expand the market for vending machines among business and industry but now he’s looking to get his foot in the break room door of corporate offices, colleges and universities, hospitals and hotels.

“We have 1,600 locations already,” he said. “Anywhere that it makes sense financially for vending machine operators to put them.”

The technology software was developed by Alex Doumani while the hardware was created by Ralf Lindackers - both a part of the team at 365 Retail Markets. The features and strategy come from the mind of Hessling and his product committee.

The technology and vending machines offer plenty of benefits for customers and vending operators including increased sales, improved customer satisfaction and lower operating costs. And its safe.

The units produced by 365 MicroMarkets are completely customizable- scalable, modular, and brandable. They can go virtually anywhere and each one is made in the United States.

365 Retail Markets currently has 45 employees and has grown 1,800 percent from 2010 to 2013. Hessling is looking to more international expansion with a goal of 25,000 locations and in the coming months will introduce mobile development.

But what does Hessling push the button for when he surveys the vending machine?

“I’m always looking for chocolate or maybe a power bar,” he said. “And the power bars usually aren’t in vending machines but in our office there’s like 25 choices of power bars.”

He just doesn’t want people to be disappointed when they visit their break room for a snack or drink.

“People spend a lot of their time on the older vending machines and nobody likes them so they end up with a situation where no one is happy,” Hessling said. “And this way people are happy. They get what they want and they get more. And, they’re happy.”